? On January 2 Charlestown City Police Officer Andrew Wathen stopped a tan colored SUV after the driver was observed as swerving all over the roadway.
Officer Wathen made contact with the driver, who was identified as 22 year old Kyle Bullard and the passenger, 24 year old Erik Crowder both of Charlestown. Through Wathen’s investigation he arrested Bullard for suspicion of drunk driving. With the assistance of CPD Officer Joe Jones a search of the vehicle was conducted in which officers discovered a Gateway brand laptop computer located on the vehicles driver’s side front dashboard along with multiple diamond rings, men’s watches, and necklaces located both inside the vehicle’s console and inside Crowder’s pants pockets.
Officer’s suspicions grew as they noticed that the laptop had contained the name of a female on the computers screen. Officers began to question both Crowder and Bullard as to the ownership of all of the items in which neither story officers obtained from either Crowder or Bullard matched.
Crowder told police that the computer belonged to Bullard’s grandmother while Bullard advised that he had no knowledge of who owned any of the items or how the computer or jewelry got into his vehicle.
Officers were able to detain the two and begin tracking down the owner of the items. While on station CPD dispatcher Josh Campbell ran the name that was on the computer into a database which provided him an additional name. Campbell was able to trace both names to an address in the Clarksville area. Campbell called Clarksville PD and discovered that Clarksville officers had taken a home invasion burglary report at approx. 9 p.m. on January 1. Campbell also discovered that the female homeowner was home alone asleep in her bedroom when she was awakened only to find a male standing in her bedroom. The woman startled the suspect who had grabbed her jewelry and computer before fleeing in a tan colored SUV.
Charlestown Police Major Keith McDonald called the woman later that morning and discovered that she has a son who is currently fighting in the war in Iraq and that the laptop computer was the only link of communication her son has with his mother, wife, and 4 month old daughter.
“When I called this woman and heard her become upset on the other end of the phone over the significance and importance of what that computer meant to her and her family it really hit home with me and the officers who investigated this case,” McDonald said. “I truly believe that law enforcement and serving in the armed forces parallel one another and share many similarities.”
McDonald continued, “I’m very proud of Officers Wathen and Jones for looking “beyond the ticket” and digging further, their actions ultimately brought proper closure to this case.”
Both Crowder and Bullard were arrested on burglary and alcohol related charges and were being held at the Michael L. Becher Adult Corrections Complex.